Toxic dust from California’s shrinking Salton Sea is harming children’s lung growth – our study tracked the impact in 700 kids

A new study reveals how the lake bed’s toxic dust impairs lung development in children living nearby.

By: Jill Johnston, University of California, Irvine; University of Southern California and Shohreh Farzan, University of Southern California, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 3, 2026

Words: 1,201

Last Updated: 3 months, 4 weeks ago

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By Jill Johnston, University of California, Irvine; University of Southern California and Shohreh Farzan, University of Southern California

Southern California’s Salton Sea was once a resort playground, with sunny beaches, celebrities and people waterskiing on the vast inland lake in the 1950s and ’60s.

Today, those resorts are long gone, replaced by a drying and increasingly toxic landscape. As the lake shrinks, wind blowing across the exposed lake bed kicks up toxic …

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